European Premiere of New Toyota Hilux at Barcelona Motor Show

Press Release

A new leisure and adventure vehicle by Toyota

·          Adding a new level of comfort and driving pleasure

·          Sixth generation of Toyota’s second-best worldwide seller

·          Hilux is a showcase of Toyota’s legendary quality, durability and reliability

·          Full year sales target about 25,000 units in Europe

This year’s edition of Barcelona’s ‘Salón Internacional del Automóvil’ introduces the new Toyota Hilux pick-up to the European public.

The latest Hilux is the sixth generation of Toyota’s second best selling model worldwide (after Corolla). More than 12 million units have been produced since the vehicle was first sold in Japan in 1967.

The history of Hilux has been a story of continuous development and improvement based on customer needs all over the world. Over the years Hilux has built a reputation for never-say-die toughness, reliability and power on all continents. It has always been the vehicle of choice when driving under the toughest conditions. In creating the new Hilux, Toyota has set out to develop a new leisure and adventure vehicle for a global market that inherits built quality, durability and reliability of its predecessors.

The new Hilux is a further model in Toyota’s strategy to add to its customer offering and grow its market share in Europe. It supplements the Toyota SUV/off-road range, offering a rugged alternative to the current RAV4, Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser 100 line-up at an affordable price.

The launch of the new Hilux with increased interior space, improved driving characteristics and greater comfort and quality, will offer fresh opportunities for sales growth, particularly in the rapidly increasing leisure double cab segment.

While many customers will choose the Single Cab Hilux for its excellent performance as a comfortable, high quality workhorse, others will choose the rugged Double Cab for outdoor leisure hobbies. The Extra Cab provides a cross-over stage for multi-purpose use, adding extra passenger carrying space to substantial load carrying capacity.

The new Hilux will be on sales across Europe from October 2005 onwards in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and UK. The rest of Europe will follow from November.

For 2005, Toyota aims to sell 5,000 units. On, a full year basis, the target is set at around 25,000 units.

Rock-solid construction

·          Reinforced ladder frame chassis

·          All-new suspension for improved ride

·          Fuel efficient engine favours low running costs

The new Hilux is built on an all-new ladder frame chassis. This not only allows the vehicle to achieve true off­road capability and maintain durability but also offers better noise and vibration insulation between the passenger compartment and the chassis.

The chassis, specific to the Hilux, offers excellent strength, durability, collision safety and vehicle control. It is constructed from a larger box section than the current model and with a 45% improvement in torsional stiffness, leading to greater body control and reduced noise intrusion into the cabin.

It has been designed to offer impact absorption in the event of a collision with an impact brace between the front and first cross members. This absorbs energy by collapsing and reduces the potential damage to other chassis components including the suspension towers.

At the front, independent double wishbone suspension with coil springs allows maximum travel and bump absorption while maintaining good straight line stability and feel. At the rear, traditional leaf springs have been retained for maximum load carrying capacity and to reduce intrusion in to the flat bed.

On-road driving comfort and safety is further enhanced with the adoption of rack and pinion steering in place of the traditional recirculating ball design. Suspension has been tuned and roll stiffness has been improved to the point where it is 1.5 times higher than in the current model.

The use of high-tensile sheet steel for major body panels increases strength, durability and crash protection. Anti-chipping coating has been added to exposed areas such as the door sills and underbody to protect against corrosion.

Improved fuel consumption and low levels of noise are achieved through careful aerodynamics, including an engine undercover and wind deflectors. Close fitting body panels not only highlight superior build quality but also help reduce wind noise.

At launch the new Hilux range will be powered by a Toyota 2.5-litre D-4D diesel engine, featuring a second­generation common-rail system and a Swirl Control System. It develops 75 kW (102 DIN hp) at 3,600 rpm and up-to 260 Nm of torque (200 Nm for 4x2 versions), making it ideal for both work and leisure applications. This highly fuel-efficient unit offers low running and low maintenance costs. The powertrain line up will be expanded in the future, starting with an intercooled version of the 2.5 D-4D next year.

Oil Management and Maintenance System allows a maximum 24 months oil and oil filter change (or maximum 30,000 km).

Driving enjoyment has been enhanced with further improvements to the five speed manual transmission, which is now smoother and easier to use, leading to a better gearchange feel. The transfer gearbox allows four-wheel drive and a rear axle limited slip differential is standard for improved traction under slippery conditions.

A differential-lock is also available on selected grades for a tougher off-road use.

More space, more presence

·          A rugged image

·          Larger overall and more load carrying capacity

·          Much greater interior space and comfort

The new Toyota Hilux has a powerful design, which creates an immediate visual impact. For a start, it is considerably larger than the vehicle it replaces, ensuring a road presence to match its role as a leisure and adventure vehicle.

The strong mono-form surface creates a feeling of strength. The surface areas are large and dominant while the rear deck has a thickness suited to its role as load carrier. Frontal styling is bold and aggressive with the deep front bumper and massive bonnet adding to the sense of authority.

A full range of all three bodytypes (Single Cab, Double Cab and Extra Cab) and both 4x2 and 4x4 transmissions will be available across Europe with individual national markets taking selected models to suit local customer demand.

All three models offer more space, particularly in the cabin, and passengers will find new, class leading levels of quality and comfort in the segment. The new Hilux is 5,130 mm long, making the Single and Double Cab versions 340 mm longer than the current model. It is also considerably wider (+60 mm for the Single Cab and +45 mm for the Double Cab) but remains the same height, contributing to the sleek, powerful looks.

The extra length is primarily in the wheelbase (now 3,085 mm). This contributes significantly to greater interior space but also means better ride and more comfort for the passengers.

The load deck is also more spacious, particularly in Single and Double Cab versions. The strong, vertical sides allow width to increase by 50 mm (55 mm in Single Cab) and the load length is increased by 155 mm in the Single Cab and 165 mm in the double cab.

Total load lengths are now 2,315 mm for the Single Cab and 1,520 mm for the Double Cab. The Extra Cab load length is 1,805 mm.

Interior designers took their cues from professional tools. Precision, practicality and comfortable use were key attributes.

As with Toyota passenger cars, quality will be both actual and perceived with customers enjoying high levels of driving enjoyment, combined with visual and tactile refinements. Panel fit has been reduced throughout the body and interior design. For example, the instrument panel fit is comparable to the D-segment Toyota Avensis. Door clearance has been reduced to between 4.5 and 5 mm on all frames.

The interior is fully trimmed in quality materials with scuff plates fitted on doorsills and impact absorbing headlining on interior surfaces.

The instrument panel is clearly designed with passenger car comfort and perceived quality in mind. Its stylish and sporty appearance is both practical and effective. Key features include the three-cluster meter panel, the ergonomic positioning of switches and controls, the clear audio and heater layout, and the quality touches, such as a flush surface top box and luxury trim (on selected models).

Drivers will find a natural and comfortable seating position with conventional, passenger car controls including a centre-box handbrake.

But it is the interior roominess that will most delight drivers and passengers. The new Hilux Double Cab offers a cabin with ample room for five adults.

Cabin length on the Double Cab has been increased by 35 mm and the driving position moved forward to allow an extra 42 mm of leg room for the rear seat passengers. The hip height has been increased to create a more natural seating position and all three rear seat passengers get full three-point seatbelts and adjustable headrests.

Seat comfort is greatly improved too, with extended slide and recline adjustment, increased seat cushion lengths and, for the Double Cab, a rear seat fold-up function for increased storage space and load carrying.

Across the range, the extra width and track have greatly increased shoulder room, both front and rear. Cabin length on the Single Cab has increased by 40 mm to create a more natural seating position and the Extra Cab gets a further 500 mm of length to accommodate the extra row of seats in comfort.

New Hilux is more flexible and more practical. Storage space has been increased throughout the vehicle, extra cupholders introduced, door bins enlarged and, on Double Cab, a header box installed.

Part of a worldwide project

·          Built to Toyota’s legendary quality and reliability standards

·          One of three models in Toyota’s global IMV programme

Although a more refined vehicle, the new Hilux retains its traditional durability. Model development has been in the hands of two of the most experienced engineers within Toyota - Kaoru Hosokawa (Executive Chief Engineer) and Takeshi Matsuda (Chief Engineer), experts in the field of reliability engineering.

ECE Hosokawa says: “Our concept was to create a stylish design with a strong, advanced feeling and commanding presence. The key selling points are the quality, durability and reliability of the vehicle – a greatly improved driving position and increased passenger space, particularly on the Double Cab.

“We have also increased the cargo deck capacity and improved the fuel efficiency. Most importantly, we have set out to create a passenger-car like driving performance.”

The new Toyota Hilux is one of three vehicles being developed on a global basis under Toyota’s IMV (Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle) project.

IMV products are truly global vehicles designed to sell in more than 140 countries and to meet modern customer demand for high levels of quality, durability and comfort. The full IMV product line-up consists of three pick-ups, a minivan and a Sports Utility Vehicle.

The IMV project represents an unprecedented approach to draw on the resources and potential of countries outside Japan as global production and supply bases for both vehicles and components.

Putting this into an historical context, the globalisation of Toyota’s business activities was centred initially on producing vehicles in Japan and exporting abroad. This was followed by a strategy of manufacturing volume models in countries within key global markets, resulting in significant investment in Europe, among others.

Now, as free trade agreements have become more common, Toyota has been able to establish production and supply structures made more efficient by their global scale.

Therefore, the IMV vehicle production base includes South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and Argentina. Major components such as diesel engines come from Thailand, petrol engines from Indonesia and manual transmissions from India.

Initial worldwide production targets for the IMV project were 505,000 vehicles a year spread across the four manufacturing countries.

Sales outside Europe started earlier this year in Asia, Oceania and South America have already exceeded expectations.

In Europe, Toyota will take production of the new Single Cab and Double Cab Hilux from South Africa while the Extra Cab will be sourced from Thailand.